Vegan Beet Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped (Optional)
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 beets, including greens, diced
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• ½ cup canned peeled and diced tomatoes
• 2 potatoes, quartered
• 1 cup shredded Swiss chard
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons dried dill weed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) package silken tofu

Step 1

Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook them together, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and turns translucent—this usually takes about 5 minutes. Once that’s done, set the mixture aside for now.

Step 2

Grab a large pot and warm up the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in the celery, carrots, bell pepper, beets (including the greens), whole and diced tomatoes, potatoes, Swiss chard, and the sautéed onion and garlic you prepared earlier. Give everything a good stir and cook until the Swiss chard starts to wilt, which should take around 4 to 8 minutes.

Step 3

Pour in the vegetable broth and water, then season with dill, salt, and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer gently for about an hour.

Step 4

After that, carefully scoop out half of the beets along with some broth and transfer them to a blender. Don’t fill it more than halfway. To keep things safe, hold the lid down with a folded kitchen towel and pulse the blender a few times to get things moving before pureeing everything until smooth. Add the tofu to the blender and blend again until it’s fully incorporated.

Step 5

Pour this creamy mixture back into your pot and let the soup simmer for another hour, or until it’s reduced by about a third. You can enjoy it warm or chilled—either way, it’s delicious!